I’m not even going to venture out to the pool…my air conditioner is staying on and after reviewing hot tea…I’m going to start brewing
some iced!

Tamarind
Pods of Tamarind are common in most markets in the S.F. Bay Area where I grew up, and tamarind drinks are also super common in restaurants.(You people in the Western State’s know what I’m talking about!)
Open up a lumpy tamarind pod and there are seeds and sticky dark fruit that is sour when unripened, and sweet enough for flavoring juices or using in pastries much like apricot or peach pulp when ripe. The fruit is good for the stomach and an antibacterial. The origin of the Tamarind Tree is in Africa. Today Mexico and Southeast Asia are the biggest users of this fruit in every day cooking and for beverages. It’s something I have used for sauces when I want a sweet but tangy ‘pop’ in my Thai main dishes but I’ve also had it tucked in a sweet pastry as filling, as a sweet iced drink and as candy!

Review!
The steep time was 3 minutes at 212F in a brew basket/mug which produced a maple syrup colored liquor.

Interestingly, the first sip tasted like a light vanilla maple pancake syrup! Not thick and not syrupy sweet but a little sweet…and delicious, warm and fragrant! The base is black tea but was not dark, malty or cocoa tasting. I did feel a splash of tannin at the finish which was just fine with me.

I took another bigger drink…and again there was the vanilla flavor
which was very smooth. The flavor puzzled me. I was expecting something sharper and more acidic instead of this smooth vanilla syrup tea with tannin.

(Stacy often says that some tea’s benefit from adding a little bit of raw brown sugar crystals…and I had purchased some from her…so…)

I added the sweetening at this point in my tasting.
The improvement was evident. The tannin receeded and the fruitiness began to wriggle free.
My tastebuds grabbed for the newly detected dry fruit flavors. A mix of membrillo (quince paste) with peach and apricot leather and one little tangy ping. This ping was the sour fruit that says TAMARIND and can be nothing else in the World. All of this fruit flavor was followed by the vanilla that lingered for some time afterward.
The cup made sense at this point. The fruit was ripe tamarind. The addition of just a bit of sweet was the unifier that was needed for the tea to be at it’s best.

I let my cup cool all the way down. Still Good! This tea will be great iced!

Another ‘Sabroso’(tasty) naturally flavored and unique tea from Butiki!

I love this tea! It almost tastes like 2 different teas with and without sugar. Bonnie, I’m getting the vanilla and tamarind too but also without sugar I’m getting caramel and raw cacao. Though I could see how caramel could be maple syrup.

My taste buds seem to be quite different from everyone else though, so don’t go by me. I’ve done a bunch of group tastings and it really is interesting how everyone seems to get different notes from the same tea.

I don’t think the black tea base is real malty, at least to me. What I was trying to describe for those who don’t know what tamarind is like…is the peach/apricot leather sort of flavor with a tang. But tamarind has it’s own distinct flavor…just somewhere in that range. It can be used in many of the same ways as those fruits…jam, fillings etc.

Me too! I buy a container with the pulp ready for making juice…by diluting it… or you can add a bit full strength to a sauce. I get this at my local Asian Market (Sure beats smashing the pulp myself!). Somehow the addition seems cooling to a spicy dish.

I love this tea! It almost tastes like 2 different teas with and without sugar. Bonnie, I’m getting the vanilla and tamarind too but also without sugar I’m getting caramel and raw cacao. Though I could see how caramel could be maple syrup.

My taste buds seem to be quite different from everyone else though, so don’t go by me. I’ve done a bunch of group tastings and it really is interesting how everyone seems to get different notes from the same tea.

I don’t think the black tea base is real malty, at least to me. What I was trying to describe for those who don’t know what tamarind is like…is the peach/apricot leather sort of flavor with a tang. But tamarind has it’s own distinct flavor…just somewhere in that range. It can be used in many of the same ways as those fruits…jam, fillings etc.

Me too! I buy a container with the pulp ready for making juice…by diluting it… or you can add a bit full strength to a sauce. I get this at my local Asian Market (Sure beats smashing the pulp myself!). Somehow the addition seems cooling to a spicy dish.

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Bio

Colorado Grandmahttp://www.teaandincense.comGrandmother to 3 teenaged girls and 5 young boys. (we all drink tea!) I began teatime in the Summer over 30 years ago when my children were little. We took a break from play for tea and snacks every day. My children loved tea time.
There are several tea houses close to my home and a Tea Festival in Boulder. Fort Collins is a bit of a foodie town. We brew lots of Beer (Fat Tire is one brand) and have several Spice Shops (Savory was one featured on Food Network).
Colorado State University is a mile from my home and the Rocky Mountains begin to climb at the end of my street. The climate is semi-arid with LOTS OF SUN AT 5000 feet. (Heavy Winter snows start in higher elevations). Living my whole life in Northern California (Silicon Valley) I have to admit that I LOVE IT HERE!!!
I attend a wonderful Greek Orthodox Church and enjoy cooking ethnic foods (all kinds). I am disabled with Migraines and Fibromyalgia.
My family is Bi-racial (African-American, Scots) and Bi-cultural, (Peru, Cyprus, France, Mexico, Native American)
I’ve worked at a Winery, was a System Analyst, in telecom, been an Athlete and Coach, Artist, Vista Volunteer. Love healthy cooking (and delicious food!). Love to travel and have been to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Malta, Peru, Croatia, Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska